Improvement in gun-carriages



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of trunnions, G.

ABI'ATHER F. POTTER, OF OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA.

Letters P11-ttm No. 107,099, dated September 6, 1870; aatedated August 27, 1870.

` I IMPROVEMENT IN GUN-CARRIAGES.

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The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and inakiug part of the'sanie.

To all 'whom it'nmy concern .Be it known that I, ABIATHER F. Po'rTEn, of Oakland, county of Alameda, State of Oalifbrnia,.have

invented an Improved Device for Operating Heavy Gruns and I do hereby declarethe following description and accompanying dra-wing are suiicient to e`nable any person skilled in the art or science to which it must nearlyappertains to make and use my said ,invention and improvements, without further invention or experiment.

My invention lrelates to the training and operating of heavy guns, and more especially to a device for elevating and depressing the gun, so that any given range may be obtained and `kept, the gun not requiring chocks when it is to be removedfrom -plaee to place, as in the case of artillery, there beingno trail-,screw to be damaged by the weight of, the gun, or to run down, and cause delays in again getting range.

:It also has forits object the application of a graduated scale, calculated inA connection with the working parts, so that, the range Vbeing known or estimated, thev gun can be instantly trainedl upon the point with certainty.

These objects are effected by means of cams or eccentrics, mounted upon transverse shafts beneath the gun, so that, by means of a series of levers operating them, the angle oi' the gun can be changed.

. The lever throughwhich the power is applied-moves over a graduated are, which shows the diiierent'angles of elevation or depression from which the range, with a given charge, may be estimated, and it can he held at any point by a set-screw.

Referring to the accompanying drawing for a more complete explanation ot' my invention- A is a gun, mounted upon a carriage, B, by means Beneath the gun two strong transverse shafts, D

E, are supported by the sides of the carriage, ort-hey may have a separate frame secured to the trail F.

These shafts have their cams a and b secured to them atsuch points as tobe directly beneath the gun, and their shape issuch that the gun rests on both. in whatever posit-ion they stand.

At one end of the. Shafts D and E are cranks or levers cd, which .project downward, and have their lower ends united by a bar, G.

The center of this bar is made with a projecting arm, H, which has a vert-ical slot, e, made through it.

The operating lever is in the form ofa T, the shank I extending down alongcthe trail of the gun, and one arm, J, is pivoted at the end near the side of the car riage.

`claimed, the horizontal graduated are L, substantially The other arm, K, has its end fitted to enter the slot e, so that, by moving the long arm I from side to side, the arm K moves the bar G, and this, in turn, operates the crank-levers c and l back and forward, thus rotating the shafts D and E. This latter movement turns the cams' a and b, and, by their action, the' gun is moved on the trnnnions, so as to change its angle or elevation.

An are, L, is fixed to the trail, and the lever I is at that point made in two parts, so that one passes above and the other below the are. The two, being united by a. screw, f, can be clamped so as to effectually secure the gun in any desired position.

lThe range o f the gnu heilig ascertainedatthe dit'- ferent elevations, the arc L is marked in accordance, and, if the distance of' an object is properly estimated, the gun can be accurately trained upon it, and will remain in that position as long as desired, not being liable to change, as when a trail-screw is used.

The cams, being in contact with the gun, steady it, and it will not be necessary to chock it when it is to be removed, nor will time be taken to train it again, as it always remains in the position where it is left.

When a trail-screw is used, it is allowed to run down inmoving about, so that it willl uot'be strained or subjected to the weight of the gun, whiclris then steadied by checks, and, when a new positionis taken up, some time is lost in again obtaining the range. v

This is all avoided by the use of my apparati which is simple and not liable to become disarrange Having thus described my invention,

o What I claim, 'and desire to vsecure by Letters Pa ent, is-v 1. In a gun-carriage, the cams a and b, brv adjus ing the gun to the proper elevation or inclination, ar# ranged to operate substantially as described.

2. The. combination of the Tishaped lever I, cranklevers c. and d, and connecting-bar G, with the shafts D and E for operating said cams, substantially as specied.

3. In combination with the operating device above as and for the purpose specified.

4. The combination, with the lever I and arc L, of the clampinU-screw f, arranged to operate substantialln as described.

In wit-ness whereof I have hereunto setmy hand and Seal. ABIATHER F. POTTER. [n sl] Witnesses:

Geo. H. STRONG, WM. lt. Boone. 

